Stock Car History Online | Don Hunter Collection

RC TAKES A BREAK

Richard Childress downs a cool drink during a pit stop in the 1980 Daytona 500.

Childress finished 13th in the event, 10 laps down to winner Buddy Baker. The longtime independent driver made a total of 285 starts on NASCAR’s premier circuit between 1969 and 1981, with six top-five finishes. His best career finish was a third at Nashville in 1978.

After driving the first 20 races of 1981, Childress turned his Pontiac over to a young up-and-coming driver named Dale Earnhardt. With the exception of the 1981 season finale at Riverside, where he ran five laps in a car fielded by Junior Johnson, Childress never drove another Winston Cup event.